


Woods

by cliffordinthehood



Category: 5 Seconds of Summer (Band)
Genre: AU, Action/Adventure, F/M, Suspense, basically this is like a running from the bad guys au thing, bodyguard!Luke, but its sat on my computer for months, completely different from anything ive ever done before, fbi!luke, i don't wanna tag too much cause i don't wanna give it away, so im a little apprehensive about posting it, the summary sucks balls i'll fix it soon!!
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2015-08-09
Updated: 2015-08-26
Packaged: 2018-04-13 17:49:06
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 4
Words: 8,105
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/4531323
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/cliffordinthehood/pseuds/cliffordinthehood
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>After her parents pass away in a car crash when she is just a little girl, Kat spends her uneventful life shuffled around foster homes throughout the country. She's been to 10 families in 10 states in just over 10 years, but none of them have felt like home. Then she is nearly kidnapped while running on a trail, causing her to meet Luke, who works for the FBI's Witness Protection Program. He's her bodyguard. She soon discovers that her existence is much more significant - and threatened - than she ever could have imagined.</p><p> </p><p>  <b>Or, the one where Luke works for the FBI and an OC named Kat can't go out for a morning run without nearly getting kidnapped so good thing Luke is there because her life is kinda really important to the case he's a part of.</b></p>
            </blockquote>





	1. One

**Author's Note:**

> Fair warning: I’ve never posted a full-blown fanfic on here before so I'm kinda going out on a limb here meaning I have no idea what im doing or getting myself into! Hopefully it actually gets finished (I don’t usually ever actually finish these things but I did write 5k words of this in one sitting which never happens so we’ll see how it goes). For now, I have the first few chapters already written on my computer, but after that I need to do some more plotting! And I really do hope I end up finishing this, because I really like the idea! Let me know what you think!

_If you go out in the woods today,_

_You'd better not go alone._

_It's lovely out in the woods today,_

_But safer to stay at home._

This was her favourite time - just her, some music, and the soft, rhythmic footfalls her running shoes made as she covered the ground at a practiced pace. She was on her fourth mile - only one more to go for today, and then she'd be back at her house. Not her home - she hadn't had one of those for many years now. Ever since she was three, and she'd been taken away. All she'd experienced of a normal life was the first week or so of daycare, and all she had left of that were the little bits and pieces of memories she'd managed to keep stored away. Then she'd been shuffled from family to family in the foster care system. Sometimes she'd stay for a couple years, sometimes only a couple weeks, but never long enough to make the house she was in her home.

Running was one of the only constants left in her life, and she needed it to keep herself sane. No matter what she was going through, no matter what family she was staying with, no matter what thoughts and feelings the new school and new friends brought, she always had the pavement and the running shoes and the deep breaths and the calm tranquility that they brought. She needed calm, she desired tranquil.

At seventeen, regardless of her family and support system, or total lack thereof, she was a fairly average teenager. Preparing for graduation as she began wrapping up the final few months of secondary school, evaluating what she wanted to do with her life, and what she wanted to get out of life. Who she wanted to be, where she wanted to go, what she wanted to do. All deep, complex questions, and she'd never been more confused or lost.

She'd heard those same words from the mouths of many of her peers, but they had a family to go home to, a support system to fall back on, whereas she really only had herself. Herself and the beat up running shoes, the well-worn and well-loved music player, and the flip phone that currently rested in her back pocket, and had for nearly five years. It was meant to be both for emergencies and friends, though she certainly had more of the former, than the latter, which spoke volumes as her life was fairly uneventful to begin with. Not that she was unfriendly, or unkind, but when you'd lived in 10 of the 50 states, with 10 different families, in a little over 10 years, it became hard to make friends, and even harder to keep them.

She let her thoughts wander to the faintly rustling trees and baby blue sky around her. She was on a trail a few metres from the roadway - a seldom-used back road with farmland on the side opposite to her, and a golf course just beside the rustling trees that lined the trail. It was quiet and calm and serene here, and other joggers and runners seemed to share her thoughts, as she saw others quite often here. Just a quick 'hi' or a wave or smile in passing, which was just enough for her, especially when she was on the home stretch of her run, and eager to return to her house so she could make the most of the rest of the morning.

She looked down and noticed that her right shoelace had come undone. Serves her right, she hadn't bothered to double knot them as she normally would. With a small sigh, she stopped, and bent down to do up the laces, music still flowing through her headphones.

Suddenly, she was pushed sideways, a quick punch to the gut which seemed to have winded her as she was having trouble catching her breath, and a large hand was clamped over her mouth. She tried wriggling free, but she saw the large bicep attached to the hand that was grasped over her mouth, and knew her attempts would probably be futile. She remembered bits and pieces of the self-defense course she'd taken in school when she was twelve and lived with a family in a bad neighbourhood. Her body tried its best to execute the steps she'd stored in her memory, but she knew that, at best, her attempt would only delay, rather than disable, her attacker. She continued wriggling, kicking and biting any flesh that was close to her, trying to reach up and poke her aggressor's eyes when their hand clamped around two of her fingers and tried to bend them backwards. She quickly retracted her hand at that, and she could feel and hear the smirk her attacker received at that. Her fight was beginning to fade - she'd just ran nearly five miles, which certainly wasn't helping her case - and her attacker knew that. Now her lungs were burning and her hands were clammy and her heart was racing and her grip was faltering and she could feel herself starting to give in and then suddenly the weight on her was jerked backwards, and his blunt fingernails were scrabbling to find purchase as they scraped against her flesh. And she felt the relieving rush of cool air around her body, and clutched her stomach, heart racing and lungs gasping at the newfound air, as she held herself up against a tree, watching as her attacker was now at blows with another man. Man wasn't exactly the right word, he couldn't have been more than a couple years older than her, but all she could really get a glimpse of was a flash of blonde hair and shoulders and the small height advantage he had even though her attacker was a good six inches taller than herself. They fought it out for a good few minutes, and while at first she wasn't sure who would win, her savior seemed to have the stamina in the end. A series of successive punches to the stomach, jaw, and groin eventually left the attacker sprawled out on the trail, groaning in pain.

She watched in shock as the guy who had just rendered this large attacker immobile, turned towards her, expression softening slightly, but still stoic. "We should go," he said, blue eyes locking on her, conveying a sense of urgency. "Now."

She nodded, still trying to properly catch her breath, and he was too. But it wouldn't do either of them any good staying around here. He grabbed her hand and the two of them fled the scene, both racing down the last few hundred metres to where the trail met the road. No words were exchanged, as the animalistic fight-or-flight instinct took over. It was what fuelled those footfalls, when her arms and legs and lungs were aching for relief, and she felt like each footfall was her last, like she couldn't make any more, but she did. Flight. Run away. There are bad things here.

The guy kept up to her easily - perhaps he was simply more fit, or maybe it was his larger stride. She felt his gaze turn towards hers a couple times while they were running, observing her carefully, making sure she was okay - perhaps, if she looked like she couldn't continue, he would've quickly grabbed her up and carried her, but he never got the chance to even ask, as she kept her gaze straight ahead, and powered on, despite the breathlessness and the heaving of her heart and her lungs as her body worked overtime, past its normal limits.

Once they had emerged from the trail, and were several paces down the shoulder of the road, where it was slightly more populated, and cars drove past at a seldom, but continuous, pace, they stopped.

She put her hands on her knees, lungs aching as she gasped for breath, feeling dizzy and nauseous at the same time. She sat down soon after, hoping that would help more.

"Are you okay?" the blonde-haired guy asked.

"Yeah I'm-" she struggled to get a sentence out, between her breathless pants, with her heart hammering in her ears. "I'll be... alright.... I just..." and then her entire world was plunged into darkness as she entered a state of unconsciousness.


	2. Two

She woke up groggily, wiping her eyes. As her vision cleared, she saw her foster mother staring down at her with extreme concern. Lines of worry were etched on her face, and she was wringing her hands.

She looked around the room, slowly registering it as foreign. There were no windows, just bare puke yellow walls, a small ceiling-mounted tv, a chair, a bedside table, and the bed. A hospital room.

"How do you feel, Kat?" her foster mother, Helena, asked.

"I'm okay," she replied, with a slight nod, looking around at the machines.

"Good, well they've been monitoring your fluid levels. You passed out while you were on your run, do you remember?"

"Yeah," she replied, with a vague memory of the event. "Wait, how did I get here?"

"Well, I got a call from the hospital. A young man found you and called 911. Luckily you weren't the only one out there, or I don't know what would've happened," she said, eyebrows furrowing.

"I'm okay, Helena, don't worry. I just pushed myself a little too hard."

At that moment a nurse came in. "Hello, Katherine, I see you're up. How are you feeling?"

"I'm okay. Really, I'm fine," Kat said, managing a small smile. She was still a little shaken up, but she didn't want the nurses, or Helena, to worry. The incident with the man in the woods was probably a one off, she'd just have to be more careful next time. But it wasn't worth making a big deal of, there was really no need to be concerned.

"Good. Well, your vitals all seem fine now. We've ruled out anything other than simply overexertion, so please be more careful when you're exercising, we'd hate to have this happen again. We just need a doctor to sign off, and then you're free to go," the nurse said with a smile, clutching a clipboard to her chest. She dismissed herself from the room, and Helena pulled up a chair to sit next to Kat, who smiled reassuringly at her. Helena was one of the nicest foster parents she'd had. The two had a distant, but otherwise healthy relationship. Kat had been living at her house for 7 months now, having arrived in the first month of her senior year at school. She was the only child - fertility issues had prevented Helena from having children, which ultimately caused the dissolution of her marriage. Pretty heavy stuff, that neither Kat or Helena ever really found the right time to talk about.

Not long after, the doctor came in, signing off on Kat's charts, meaning she was free to go. "Miss Holmes, if you could please head down to the waiting room with your guardian, we'd just like to have a quick conversation with you before you leave. Could you escort them, please?" the doctor asked, gesturing to their nurse, who nodded. "Of course, come with me, ladies," she smiled.

They were taken down three floors, to a smaller waiting room. This one just housed two chairs, and an examination table. Kat hoped the wait would be short, as she was now definitely late for school, in fact she'd be lucky if she made it before the end of lunch. Luckily, they hadn't been waiting 5 minutes when the door opened again.

A man in business casual attire greeted them. "Hello there, my name is Keith Fields, I'm with the Federal Bureau of Investigation's Witness Protection Program." He pulled his identification out of his inner coat pocket, extending it out to both of them to see. He then put it back, and shook Kat's hand with a small smile. He had an easy, calming demeanor about him. Kat knew he must be here for something, but she also got the idea that she wasn't in trouble, or had done anything wrong. "Miss Tide, if we could ask you to step out of the room for a moment, my colleague will be there to answer any questions you might have," he said, gesturing to Helena, "And don't worry, no one is in trouble here. We certainly don't want to cause any alarm."

Helena nodded, looking confused, but understanding. As the door shut behind her, Keith took a seat, gesturing for Kat to do the same. "I'm sure you're wondering why I'm here, and I don't want you to worry, you're in safe hands now. Unfortunately, a substantial breach in our monitoring program has been detected, enough to cause concern. Luckily, it was caught when it was, otherwise the results could have been, well, disastrous, and potentially fatal. But honestly, I don't want you to worry. I'm just waiting for my associate to arrive before I divulge any further details. He should be here any moment."

Sure enough, just moments later, the door opened, and with it, emerged a surprisingly familiar figure. The same guy from earlier, who'd saved her from the kidnapper. She couldn't help but widen her eyes in surprise. He just gave her a small nod and a slightly sheepish smile. "Hi, I'm Luke Hemmings. Sorry I didn't exactly get the chance to introduce myself earlier," he said, reaching out to shake her hand as well.

"Hi," Kat responded, with a nod. "Thanks for saving me," she added, feeling it was appropriate to say, despite the situation.

"Of course," he nodded, blushing slightly, "It's kind of my job. But you're welcome. I'm glad I could be there in time, before... yeah," he trailed off, not wanting to get into the details of what could've possibly happened.

Keith took the opportunity for the pause in conversation to continue his earlier discussion. "Katherine I know this isn't exactly an ideal time to explain all of this to you, but it needs to be done now, we can't put it off any longer. Now, you are part of the foster care system, correct? Your parents passed away in a car accident when you were three, and that's how this came to be?"

"Yes," Katherine nodded in confirmation.

"Well..." Keith said, scratching his chin awkwardly, like this wasn't something he was really prepared to do, or normally did, but instead was doing only out of complete necessity. "You see, that's not exactly the truth."

Kat looked at him, confused. Her heart began to speed up in anticipation. She wiped her now sweaty palms on her pants, and tried to stay calm.

"Basically," Keith continued, "I'll have to explain this quickly, since we don't have much time, but the long and the short of it is, your parents both worked for the government. Some extremely confidential information fell into their laps, and it was extremely unsafe for them to continue to live unprotected. They were put into the Witness Protection Program, and had their identities completely changed. The issue, of course, was their daughter - you. You see, the people who wanted this information from your parents, they knew about you. And your parents knew that it was very unsafe for you. So their deaths were faked in automobile accident, and you were moved far away, to here, from Australia," he explained, in a calm, steady voice. "Their whole identities were changed, and so were yours. Your real name is Sienna Woods. Your parents are alive. And somehow, somewhere, the people who are after you and your family, now know where you are. That's who that man in the woods was, he was after you, and he very nearly succeeded."

Kat's mind was reeling. Literally everything she'd ever believed was a lie. A complete, and utter, lie. She sat there, frozen with shock, trying to somehow comprehend this new information. Her parents weren't really dead, she wasn't really on her own - hell, her name wasn't even Katherine. She simply sat there, in that tiny plastic chair, mouth open, but no words coming out, gaping like a goldfish without water.

"I know this is just about incomprehendable, but what you need to understand is that your parents did what was best for you, no matter how hard it was. You were too much of a target, a little three year old girl - you still are, you always will be, now that they've located you. As long as they exist, your life is in danger. You can't continue to live here. Mr. Hemmings has been assigned to be your permanent bodyguard, he will always be watching over you, ensuring your safety, so I suggest you get to know him. You'll be quarantined in one of our buildings for a few days while we get our bearings, and decide on our next move. I know this is a shock. It'll take some time to process everything. But right now we need to move. There's a vehicle outside of the hotel waiting for you. Your caregiver, Ms. Helena Tide, has been informed of what is going on - not the specifics, but enough. In all likelihood, you won't be seeing her again. Now, I have to go, I have a meeting to attend. We will meet again soon. It's been a pleasure seeing you," he said, giving Kat's hand another firm shake. "Hemmings," he nodded, to his colleague. Then he dismissed himself from the room.

Kat bit the inside of her cheek, staring blankly at the grey tiles on the floor in utter disbelief. She wasn't sure what she was feeling - a strange mixture of emptiness, confusion, and betrayal.

She felt Luke's gaze on her. And when he spoke up, his voice was more sympathetic, forgiving. It's not that Mr. Fields hadn't tried to be empathetic, but clearly his job didn't call for it, and it would have been unprofessional. "I know, it's a lot to comprehend. Don't worry, you'll have time, but like Fields said, our main concern right now is transporting you to the secured location. And, to make this a little bit easier on you, I'll try to answer any questions you might have. I don't know everything, I'm really just your personal security guard, but I know more than most security here, and that's a start. I know you're probably scared, and confused, and overwhelmed, but you can trust me, okay?" he said, placing a hesitant hand on her shoulder.

She took a deep breath, trying to clear her head, and gave a small nod in response.

Luke nodded, standing up. "Are you ready to go?"

"Yeah," she replied simply, not trusting herself to say much more because her heart was beating erratically and adrenaline was pumping through her veins and her mind was going at a thousand miles a minute.

She allowed herself to be led from the waiting room and out a back hallway, into a waiting SUV. Hemmings sat by her side, and there was another, unknown man, who simply introduced himself as Mark, to her other side. Needless to say, Kat felt extremely uncomfortable, and strange, and weird, and different, and barely more than a few words were exchanged throughout the journey. She kept her hands in her lap, fiddling with the frayed edges of her worn out workout shorts. The expensiveness and formality of the car, with its padded leather and sleek chrome interior, only adding to her discomfort.

About half an hour later, they arrived at a building. Kat didn't get to see the outside, as they pulled straight into an underground garage. It was all grey, drab concrete pillars and walls - it certainly didn't look like anything out of the ordinary, but maybe that was an advantage somehow.

The vehicle stopped, and Mark spoke up. "We're here," he said, pushing the door open.


	3. Three

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This chapter serves simply to develop the plot a little more, there isn't much action yet. Hang tight!

Mark stood beside the vehicle door, waiting for Kat to come out. So Kat slid her mesh shorts across the black leather seats fairly ungracefully and came to stand next to him. Within seconds, Hemmings was also out of the car, standing close behind her. Both Mark and Hemmings met with another two men standing guard at the door whose uniforms declared 'security'. Nods were exchanged, and the security parted to let them through, Mark leading the way and Hemmings taking up the rear, with Kat in the middle like some sort of human sandwich. She wasn't sure whether she felt reassured or uncomfortable with all of the professional, intimidating people surrounding her. She just desperately hoped for some time alone, so she could process these events, break down a little if she needed to without feeling like the epitome of weakness around all of these strong, stoic people.

They got up two flights of fully-concreted stairs and came to a short hallway with a single, unmarked door. Home for the next little while, she guessed. Mark left her with Hemmings once they entered, and Hemmings gave her a soft smile and began to show her around. The apartment-like area was mostly exposed concrete walls and it felt industrial, with a hint of modern - and expensive - accenting. The place echoed slightly, and the ceilings were tall and exposed. The first area was artfully split between a common room and a kitchen. At this point, Hemmings introduced her to Antonio, the chef who would be living here with them for the duration of Kat's stay. Then Hemmings took her down a hallway - there was a bathroom at the end of the hall, and four other doors dispersed throughout the hallway - two on each side. He instructed that the farthest two were locked and off-limits, while the doorway closest and to the left was his bedroom. However, they stopped at the closest door on the right, the only one still unspoken for, and Hemmings turned the knob.

"This will be your bedroom," he explained, opening the door fully. It was plain, just this side of sterile, but she found the whitewashed concrete walls surprisingly comforting, like a blank, new slate. There was a bed, a small barred and screened window, a bedside table, a dresser, and a bookshelf. 

"I know you didn't get the chance to bring any of your clothes with you, but the dresser is full and you're welcome to wear whatever you like. You'll find all of the toiletries you need in the bathroom, you're welcome to read any of the books on the shelf, and I think that's it... and of course, if you have any questions, if you need anything at all, just knock on my door or ask any of the staff, okay?"

Kat nodded, digesting all of this new information.

"Are you hungry? Do you want anything to eat?" he asked.

"No. I'm okay."

"Okay," he nodded. "I'll just leave you alone for a little bit then."

"Yeah, of course. Thanks," she said, managing a small smile.

He nodded and smiled back, giving her arm a brief, reassuring touch. And then he left, closing the door behind him, and she was all alone. She looked around at the room again, surveying the unfamiliar surroundings. She sat down on the side of the bed, feeling the plush sheets underneath her fingertips, and the tears slowly but steadily began making their way down her cheeks.

She made sure to keep quiet. She wasn't sure how soundproof the walls were, and she didn't want to worry anyone. Nothing was really wrong, she was just a little overwhelmed and it was just a lot to take in at once, this whole new life thing. She brought her knees up to her chin, holding herself tight as her tears plopped down on to the uncovered skin of her knees. She cried for a good while before exhausting herself. Then she just stared out the small window, at the little slice of city that it exposed. Before she knew it, the clock on her bedside table read 8:00 pm. What an exhausting day. So much had happened since her walk in the woods this morning. She felt her stomach grumbling, and thought she'd better get a snack since she couldn't remember the last time she'd eaten.

She surveyed herself in the small mirror above the dresser, smoothing her hair out and wiping at her eyes, trying to make it look like she hadn't been crying. For the most part, she succeeded, the only thing that might have given it away were the red rings around her eyes. Oh well, those couldn't be helped. She doubted that anyone would be in the kitchen anyways, save for the chef.

When she got to the kitchen, to her surprise, Hemmings was there, perched on a stool with a steaming mug of coffee on the table in front of him. She didn't say anything to him, instead she went directly up to the chef, Antonio, and asked if she could have something simple, toast with jelly. 

"Of course. Sit down wherever you like and I'll bring it over, it'll just be a few minutes," he said, busying himself in the kitchen. Kat sat on the stool furthest from Hemmings, hoping he didn't see her red, puffy eyes. But within mere seconds, she could feel him staring at her, and she was sure he had seen. At that, she just felt embarrassed and a little weak, so all she could bring herself to do was focus on the granite countertop, or stare over at the pictures on the wall. She hoped living here would get a little easier over the next few days, because right now she felt like she was walking on eggshells. It was just so foreign. She felt uncomfortable and strangely suffocated and all she really wanted was to be back in her bed in Helena's house, with its thin sheets and lumpy pillow because at least it brought some semblance of home and familiarity. Here, she felt like a fish out of water, and she had no idea how to get that feeling to go away. In a way, she felt like her whole identity had been stripped away, like she wasn't even sure who she was anymore.

Antonio came back a few minutes later, with two pieces of toast with jelly, and a glass of water. "There you are," he said, setting the plate down in front of her.

"Thank you," she replied quietly, before taking a bite. She wasn't sure if she could take it back to her room, and she was too shy to ask, plus she didn't want to seem rude, squirreling away in her room the entire time, so she just sat there and ate her toast and drank her water and every so often she felt Hemmings gaze on her, just observing. The one time she looked over at him, he was consumed in the business section of the newspaper. She could see the tired rings around his eyes and wondered how much sleep he got. Did he have to look after her 24/7, or did he get a break to sleep, and trade off with someone else? And was it really necessary, having someone watching over her all the time? Was the situation that dire, that anyone could burst in at any moment? She wondered what information her parents could possibly have stumbled upon that made all of this necessary, but her head hurt at the mere thought of it, so she pushed it to the back of her mind as best as she could. And soon her toast was done and the last of her water was gulped down. She put her plate and glass in the sink, and looked over at Antonio, who was reading a cookbook. "Thank you," she said to him again, quietly. He gave her a small smile and a nod in return.

She walked back the short distance out of the kitchen and down the hallway to her room. She could hear muffled voices coming from the kitchen, and she wondered what they were talking about. Probably something pertaining to her. Oh well. She yawned, scratching at the back of her head. She decided to investigate the dresser, and soon found what she was looking for: pyjamas. She opted for the plainest ones, a white t-shirt and grey shorts. Not long after that, she crawled in to bed, staring up at the ceiling with her hands folded across her stomach, trying to switch off the constant stream of thoughts so she could fall asleep and get some much needed rest.


	4. Four

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Ok I know I usually only update this once a week but I've done some plotting and basically I was too excited about where the story's going to wait so you guys are gonna get two chapters this week!

Kat didn't fall asleep for at least two hours after her head touched the pillow, but once she did, she was out like a light. The next morning, she awoke to sunlight streaming through the window, and she rolled over to check the clock. It was nearly seven, so there wasn't much point in going back to sleep. Normally, she'd be hopping out to get ready for school, and for a second her groggy brain nearly did just that, but then she remembered everything that had happened. Sleeping on it had brought some solidarity. She was a bit more confident and understanding of the whole situation. 

She laid in bed until she heard soft footfalls in the hallway that indicated someone else was awake. Then she pulled herself out of bed, rubbing at her eyes, still a bit sleepy. A warm shower seemed like the best option at the moment, so she pulled the door to her bedroom open, and walked out to the hallway. She didn't see anybody on her way to the bathroom, which was probably a good thing in her zombie-like state. She shut the door behind her, and turned on the water once she figured out how to work the fancy shower settings. After 10 minutes of soap and shampoo and hot water, she was considerably more awake. After her shower, she checked out the drawers in the bathroom, as she remembered Hemmings had told her earlier that they were full of stuff for her to use. She found a toothbrush and toothpaste, and some face wash, which was great. There was a lot more stuff, more than she could possibly ever use, but she left the rest of it alone. She left her hair to air dry, and walked back to her bedroom to find some clothes for the day.

She put on a simple pair of skinny jeans and a t-shirt from the selection provided, smoothed out the covers on her bed, and then made her way to the kitchen, ready for some breakfast.

"Good morning," she said with a smile, deciding to make an effort to be warm and nice today.

"Well look who's bright and cheery today," Antonio said, returning her smile. "Are you ready for breakfast?"

"Yes, please," Kat said, taking a seat.

"What would you like?"

"Just some cereal would be great," Kat replied. "What kind do you guys have?"

Antonio rattled off a long list of cereals - clearly their cupboards were well-stocked.

"Can I have Cheerios?" Kat asked.

"Of course. I have to say, though, you're not giving me the opportunity to show off my cooking skills. First toast and now cereal," Antonio quipped.

Kat smiled in reply, the first real smile she'd made for at least a day. "Sorry. I'm just used to simple stuff, besides I don't want to make you work any harder than you already do, making food for all of these huge guards."

"Ah, well they do eat a lot. Especially Hemmings, that boy's got some shoulders on him. And I swear he has hollow legs."

"What're you saying about my legs?" a voice asked in a joking tone. Kat turned to see Hemmings entering the room. He was wearing all black, like yesterday, and she supposed it was a uniform of sorts, since nearly everybody here was in similar attire, save for Antonio. He was smiling, and he had a snapback on his head backwards, soft curls poking out of the bottom. He seemed taken aback at the level of conversation when he realized it was only Antonio and Kat in the room. Kat wasn't surprised, given her level of quietness yesterday.

"I said you're nearly eating me out of the kitchen," Antonio joked. "Good thing we get our food delivered, or I'd be spending all my time at the store."

Hemmings just chuckled, but didn't make any further comments.

Antonio came back with Kat's cereal.

"Cheerios?" Hemmings observed, cocking an eyebrow from his seat.

"Um, yeah," Kat responded, suddenly shy again. She took a few bites, before sucking it up and basically just blurting out from across the table, "Um, Hemmings?- Do I, um, call you Hemmings, or...?" she trailed off awkwardly, but kept her eyes on his face, as he looked up at her. He gave her a soft, easy smile. "You can just call me Luke."

"Okay, Luke," she nodded, finding the first-name basis somewhat comforting. "Well I just," she began taking a deep breath in, "I just wanna say that I'm sorry I was, like, weird or whatever yesterday. It was just a lot to take in, and I mean I still haven't fully, you know, understood it all yet, but, I just.." she trailed off again, pushing her Cheerios around the bowl, as she debated what else to say.

Luke quickly picked up the silence, preventing it from getting awkward. "No, don't worry about it." Kat looked up again to see him studying her with an understanding expression. "I can't imagine what you're going through right now, that's a lot of information for anyone to just be bombarded with in the span of 24 hours. You're coping really well. And don't feel bad, okay? We're here to help you, to keep you safe. Well, mostly me, but, everyone is really. We're all here for you. Antonio, Keith, Mark, me, and everyone else you haven't met yet."

"Thanks," Kat said quietly. "It's just..." she began, as the whole situation started threatening to overwhelm her all over again. She pushed through it, trying to put into words what she was feeling. "I'm just not used to it, to people being here for me, and doing stuff for me, you know? It'll just take a bit to get used to. So just, sorry in advance for any awkwardness while I adjust."

"Hey, don't worry about it," Luke said with another easy smile. Kat nodded, letting the conversation fade into silence. She felt better, just getting that little bit out. They were more understanding here than she expected, and it made it that much easier for her.

"Oh, and Kat?"

"Yeah?" 

"A man's coming today, at 10 am. He just needs to ask you a few questions - standard FBI stuff, don't worry about it. I just thought you should know."

"Okay," Kat nodded, taking a few more bites of her cereal.

\--

As promised, the man, an FBI detective of some sort, showed up right on time. Kat followed him down the hallway, as he seemed to know which room he was going to, with Luke trailing behind. They entered one of the rooms that Luke had previously explained was off-limits. The inside resembled a small office. Luke shut the door behind them, as Kat and the man each took a seat on opposite sides of a table, with Luke leaning against the wall beside Kat, arms crossed.

"Katherine. My name is Detective Johnson, I'm with the Federal Bureau of Investigation's Witness Protection Program Team, and I'm here to ask you a few questions."

"Okay," Kat nodded.

"I'm just going to get right into it. How long have you known you were a part of our program?"

"I just found out yesterday."

"You had no prior notice of this?"

"No."

"Very well. Ms. Helena Tide was your most recent caregiver?"

"Yes."

"How many foster parents have you had?"

Kat thought it was a strange question, as they must have had all of this information on her already, but she answered anyways. "I've been with 10 families in total."

"What do you think was the defining factor in your movement from these families? Are you, perhaps, temperamental?"

"I don't think so," Kat replied, beginning to squirm under the questions she was being asked.

"No? Bossy? Loud? Do you stay up late hours partying and drinking?"

"No, I'm usually in bed by 11pm," Kat responded, having to make an effort to keep her voice steady. 

"Oh," Detective Johnson said, feigning surprise.

"Detective, what relevance do these questions have to the current situation?" Luke demanded. Kat was surprised that he spoke up, but thankful. She was more than uncomfortable with the personal questions.

"Mr. Hemmings, I question your authority, as a _guard_ , to ask, but I will humour you. These questions are designed to ensure we maximize the efficiency of our system. We need to ensure that we aren't allocating too many resources to one case, where they may not be used effectively. There have been instances of children in our program seeking attention, and in those cases, we have, understandably, withdrawn support."

"Detective, Katherine was nearly kidnapped in the woods by a man who has already been identified as having ties to the enemy. I was _there_ , I saved her. Withdrawing support at such a crucial time would have disastrous results, surely you would agree."

"Mr. Hemmings," the detective said loudly, but calmly. "I am only doing my job here. These are simple questions. If you cannot keep yourself from interrupting my work, perhaps you need to leave the room."

"Let's not pretend that you don't know what extremely confidential information Katherine's parents uncovered. This puts them in a very influential position, and I can assure you they would not be pleased to discover that their daughter has been killed because an incapable detective has withdrawn all support for her."

Detective Johnson looked as if any moment he could pop a blood vessel. He only just managed to stay in his seat and keep his professionalism intact.

"Can I just, um, have a moment?" Kat spoke up in a small voice. Both men turned to her, as though they had forgotten she was still in the room. Kat was just on the edge of crumbling. Seeing such a heated argument brought back memories of the sixth household she had been fostered in, where the family situation was, less than ideal, to put it lightly.

"Excuse us, Katherine will be back in 10 minutes," Luke said, speaking for Kat as she wasn't sure she could speak for herself right now. In mere seconds, and before Detective Johnson could say anything, Luke was beside Kat, putting a reassuring hand on her shoulder as he steered her out of the room. 

"Are you okay?" he asked softly, once they were back in the hallway. He couldn't help furrowing his eyebrows in concern, as he placed a hand on each of her shoulders, so they were facing each other. "Yeah, I'm sorry, I just.." she looked down, biting her lip. "I'll be fine," she said, not sure who she was trying to make believe more, herself or Luke. "I'm just going to get some water, I'll be back."

At that, she left to go to the kitchen, grabbing a glass out of the cupboard and turning on the tap. She was grateful that Luke let her be just for a little bit, she needed some space. God, she shouldn't be so sensitive, she chided herself. She took some deep breaths, trying to calm herself down. And once she was finished her water, she felt a lot better. When she returned to the hallway, Luke was in the same spot as before, only this time slouched against the wall. 

"Okay," she spoke up, putting on a brave face. He looked up at her in surprise. "You sure?" he asked hesitantly.

"Yeah," she nodded, letting out a breath. "Let's get this over with. And just do that intimidating look thing you do if he tries to be an asshole again, ok?"

Luke raised his eyebrows in surprise at her comment. "Wait, what intimidating look thing?" he asked in confusion.

"You know, you kinda beef your shoulders up a little bit and give this death glare."

He chuckled lightly. "Okay, I'll try my best."

They went back to the room, and the second time wasn't as bad. Kat answered all of the questions that the detective asked, even though she didn't necessarily agree on their relevance, and one time Detective Johnson said something Luke mustn't of liked, so Luke cleared his throat and the detective took one look up at him before replying, "Excuse me," and changed the subject and Kat had to fight to stop a smile from forming on her face.

It was nearly lunch time before Detective Johnson left. Luke was polite, but curt, when he showed the detective out, passing him off to two security guards before quickly closing the door behind him. Luke let out a sigh of relief. "I'm so fucking glad he's gone," he said triumphantly. "I'll have to speak to Fields, there's just something about him that pisses me off."

Antonio chuckled at Luke's comments from the kitchen, before announcing, "Lunch is ready." Kat and Luke were joined by two other security members at the table, Martin and Quinn. The four had soup and sandwiches, and Kat had to agree, Antonio was a great chef. Lunch was mostly quiet, though there were a few short conversations. It seemed like Martin and Quinn mostly had outside duties, so they weren't familiar with Luke, and vice versa. They knew about Kat, of course, and Kat learned that Martin was the one who took Luke's shift of watching over her from 12am to 8am, while Luke was sleeping. But the group had been put together fairly recently, as Kat learned a lot of things in her case had changed since yesterday morning. She was surprised at how efficient the FBI really was, able to get everything set up in the short space of time from Luke calling the ambulance yesterday morning, to Kat actually arriving here yesterday afternoon.

"Was there anyone guarding me before all of this happened?" Kat asked. She knew it wasn't appropriate lunch conversation, but she was so curious that she couldn't help it. How could she never have noticed someone always watching her before?

"Not exactly," Luke replied, munching on his sandwich. "I took over being your security just over a year ago, but most of my duties were external. We always knew where you were, but it was much less involved than this. Sometimes I'd check up on you, briefly, but it was just a fluke that I chose yesterday morning to shadow you. Otherwise, while our systems are sophisticated, we wouldn't have been able to prevent you being taken, only detect that it had happened after the fact, and do our best to retrieve you. We honestly weren't expecting this. You'd been safe for over a decade, with no suspicions. I don't know how they found out about you so suddenly, but they did. We're just all glad that you're safe."

Kat nodded. "Can you tell me anything more about, you know, my parents, or the circumstances behind all of this?"

Luke looked at her regrettably. "Unfortunately, that information is strictly confidential, even to you. I don't even know it. Fields knows, and a few of the higher up officials, but it's best that way. The less people who know, the less possibility of it ever getting out. I know it's frustrating," he added, taking in her forlorn expression, "but that's just the way it has to be."

"No, I understand," Kat nodded. Of course she wished she could know everything, but that would come in time. "So do you know what's happening next?"

Luke shook his head. "Nothing is set in stone, the possibilities are still being explored. For now we're just laying low here, doing our best to stay undetected. That way, when we do start moving, it's safer. Because, of course, the fact that we don't know exactly how the information got out about you and your location, already compromises security - sure, we have our guesses, but again, we don't know for sure just yet. But that's all details, try not to worry about it."

Kat nodded. It seemed like there really wasn't much information available to her. "Okay, and is anyone else coming today?" she asked.

"No, Detective Johnson was the only one, the rest of the day is free. I was actually wondering, um, do you want to watch a movie?" Luke asked. Luke could be so professional when it came to discussing FBI-related things, but as soon as it was just a normal interaction, his real personality began to show through. He was this interesting mix of confident and shy, and it seemed like there was a lot more to him than what was first evident. Kat felt like he was one of the few people she would be able to tolerate being around 24/7, which was a good thing, seeing as he was basically now constantly at her side.

"Sure, what ones do you have here?" Kat asked.

"Um, well I know I saw a season of Friends somewhere over-"

"Shut up!" Kat interrupted suddenly. "You like Friends?"

"Well, yeah," Luke said, slightly sheepishly.

"Me too!"

"Awesome, you wanna watch that?"

"Yes!" Kat exclaimed, like that was even a question.

"Well we should get back to it," Quinn spoke up. He and Mark stood up as Antonio came over to clear their plates. By now Luke and Kat were done as well and were simply talking about the show - their favourite characters, scenes, episodes, and basically anything Friends-related.

In the end, the two binge-watched approximately 5 1/2 hours of Friends, with Antonio providing popcorn at regular intervals. And in that time, Kat realized Luke's laugh was kind of the best thing ever - at first he kept up his professional demeanour, but by the third episode, he was laughing with his nose scrunched up and eyes shut and wiping at his eyes when he started laughing so hard he began crying. And then a sad episode came on.

"Aw I hate this episode," Kat said, as soon as she saw the title screen. "I mean, it's good, but it's just really sad."

"I know," Luke sighed. "I've cried every single time I've watched it."

Kat turned to look at him, trying not to make a big deal about it, but unable to stop her eyes from widening in surprise. He just gave her a small smile. "Hey, I have feelings too." But then he made a joke because things were getting too serious. "Underneath this chiselled exterior is a very sensitive guy," he said feigning seriousness as he touched his shirt. Kat laughed along with him afterwards, but the words stuck in her head. He really was, and she wondered why he'd taken this position. He couldn't have been that much older than herself, so what had made him decide that this was what he wanted to do with his life? Constantly be in danger, forever protecting others. Kat wished it was the right time to ask him all of the questions that she was suddenly so desperate to know, but she could tell he wasn't ready to talk about serious stuff like that, and would only shut her down. Or maybe he really did want to tell her that kind of stuff, but he couldn't because it would "compromise security" or something like that. The whole situation just kind of sucked, because she knew she would be spending all of her time with this guy, but she was only privy to limited information which made it difficult to get to know him.

And as much as the two of them tried not to cry during the episode, they both did a little bit, but Luke put his arm around her shoulder and she looked over at him through teary eyes and laughed a little and he smiled and wiped his eyes as well and everything was okay because it was oddly comforting for Kat to sit next to someone on a couch with her favourite tv show playing and know that she was safe and that the people around her, though still somewhat strangers, cared about her, and were there for her, even if it was just their job.


End file.
